New Delhi, May 6 (IANS) India’s global capability centres (GCCs) are rapidly emerging as the driving force behind artificial intelligence (AI) adoption for global enterprises, transitioning from back-end delivery hubs to strategic nerve centres, a new report said on Wednesday.

The data compiled by Nasscom, in collaboration with Zinnov showed that the number of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in India has grown 32 per cent since FY21, with an estimated 506 of the Forbes Global 2000 companies now running operations from the country.

India currently hosts 2117 GCCs operating across 3,728 units and employing around 2.36 million professionals as of FY26, it said.

In a report titled “GCC Value Orbit: From Delivery Engine to Enterprise Nerve Centre,” it was found that nearly half of all GCCs established since FY21 were built with AI as a core focus from inception.

“Today, more than 1,200 GCCs in India have embedded AI and machine learning capabilities, supported by over 250 dedicated Centres of Excellence and a talent base of 250,000 AI professionals,” the report said.

Commenting on the findings, Rajesh Nambiar, President, Nasscom, said that the country’s GCC ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental reset.

“The shift from scale to value is now well underway, with AI acting as the catalyst,” he stated.

“GCCs are increasingly taking ownership of global products, platforms, and business outcomes, positioning India as a strategic nerve centre for enterprises worldwide,” Nambiar added.

The maturity scorecard of India’s GCCs is evolving from capability focused operations to architecting decisions, AI governance and formulating enterprise-wide standards.

According to the report, nearly 50 per cent of GCCs now operate at a high maturity stage.

At the same time, leadership models are evolving, with 64 per cent of site leaders now holding dual mandates that combine global functional ownership with site leadership owning mission critical responsibilities including, cybersecurity and AI governance.

“The India advantage today is unmistakable — one of the largest and fastest-growing pools of AI and digital talent in the world,” Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov said.

“That advantage is now translating into something far more structural,” Natarajan added.

–IANS

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